Maurizio Sarri 'in talks to take over as Lazio manager'

Maurizio Sarri ‘in talks to take over as Lazio manager’ as replacement for Inter Milan-bound Simone Inzaghi… as ex-Chelsea boss’ contract at former club Juventus comes to an end TODAY

  • Maurizio Sarri talking to Lazio about becoming their new manager, say reports 
  • The Biancolesti are set to lose current head coach Simone Inzaghi to Inter Milan 
  • Sarri did not work last season after his Juventus sacking but is still being paid
  • The 62-year-old was linked with the Roma job before Jose Mourinho took over 

Maurizio Sarri is in talks with Lazio about becoming their new manager as current boss Simone Inzaghi prepares to take over at Inter Milan, according to reports.

The Biancolesti are resigned to losing head coach Inzaghi, who has been in charge of the Rome-based club for the last five years, to last season’s Serie A champions following ex-Inter boss Antonio Conte’s resignation earlier this month. 

Sarri has spent the last season without a job after his sacking by Juventus in the summer of 2020 but was strongly linked to the Roma job before Jose Mourinho took over.

Maurizio Sarri is in talks with Lazio about becoming their new manager, according to reports

Current Lazio head coach Simone Inzaghi (above) is set to join Serie A champions Inter Milan

And according to Corriere dello Sport, Sarri’s agent Fali Ramadani met Lazio owner Claudio Lotito on Friday night to start discussing a move, with talks between the Italian coach and his representative continuing over the weekend. 

Sarri is still under contract at Juventus despite not working for them for nearly 12 months, with the 62-year-old’s initial contract with the Old Lady coming to an end on Monday.

A £5million compensation fee was paid to Sarri to cover his wages for the 2020-21 season, while Juventus will have to stump up another £2million for not renewing his Juventus deal for the season after that. 

The Old Lady would stop paying the 62-year-old should he find another club, meaning Lazio’s reported talks with Sarri are key to Juventus’ already-tight finances ahead of a busy summer. 

Sarri (right) has been out of a job since being sacked by Juventus in 2020 but is still being paid

Sarri rose through the Italian football ranks having initially started as a banker, with arguably the high point of his managerial career coming in 2015 when he took over as Napoli boss.

The Partenopei finished as runners-up to Juventus twice under Sarri in the three seasons he spent in southern Italy, even though the Italian never lifted a trophy at the Stadio San Paolo.

Sarri then moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2018 but only lasted one season at Stamford Bridge, even though he led the Blues to a third-placed finish and Europa League glory in Baku. 

The Italian then moved to Juventus after receiving criticism for his style of play at Chelsea, where he led the Old Lady to yet another league title in the 2019-20 season.

Sarri (right) also has Serie A experience of managing Napoli and Empoli in recent seasons

However, failure to move past the last-16 stage of the Champions League cost Sarri his job, with the Old Lady hiring club legend Andrea Pirlo as a replacement.

Yet a fourth-placed finish under Pirlo and a lack of progress in Europe meant the 42-year-old was also sacked from his role and Sarri’s predecessor at Juventus – Massimiliano Allegri – has come back to the Turin club. 

When Sarri was manager of Juventus, he battled with Lazio for the Serie A title and even called Inzaghi’s Biancolesti one of the best teams in Europe during his only season in Turin.

Juventus sacked Sarri’s successor Andrea Pirlo after a fourth-placed finish this season

Speaking about Lazio at the time, Sarri said: ‘They are experiencing a magical moment of form right now. If they carry on like this, there’s not much for anything else to do.

‘For me, right now, physically and mentally, they are the best team in Europe.’

Lazio finished the 2020-21 season, widely expected to be their last season under Inzaghi, in sixth place – which earned them same passage to the Europa League. 

Inter-bound boss Inzaghi led them to the Coppa Italia title in 2019, while he also won two Super Cups with the Biancolesti.




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